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It’s Two Teams, One Flag as Team Liquid and Aurora Gaming PH head out to defend our World Championship throne.
Spirits were high last Saturday as MOONTON Games kicks-off the Philippines’ MLBB World Championship campaign with the M7 Send-Off event. Held at Pop Up Katipunan, the event celebrated the Philippines’ M7 representatives, Team Liquid and Aurora Gaming PH, and wished them luck as they head to Jakarta, Indonesia, to claim our sixth consecutive world championship.
With that kind of legacy on their shoulders, there’s a lot of expectations on our two representatives with most eyes focusing on Team Liquid’s Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno. KarlTzy’s MLBB achievements are many, especially when it comes to the M-Series World Championships. He was part of Bren Esports, the team that won the Philippines its first M-Series in 2021. Then he became the first repeat M-Series champion, winning it with ECHO in 2023. Now he’s aiming to break his own record again to be the first three-time world champion with Team Liquid.
Team Liquid is certainly capable of making that a reality as they’ve been building their Golden Road ever since MPL PH S15 of last year. Their players are also coming off of a successful gold medal campaign in the 2025 SEA Games, so momentum’s on their side.
“Ayaw lang namin magbigay ng percentage,” said Team Liquid’s coach Rodel “Ar Sy” Cruz during the M7 Send-off media interview. “Sasabihin ko lang na ibibigay namin yung very best namin para makuha yung M7.”
Aurora are no slouches either as they dominated the field during MPL PH S16 with their 15-match win streak. However, it came to a crashing halt after they were swept 4-0 by Team Liquid in the S16 grand finals. That same falloff followed them to Games of the Future 2025, where they placed third after getting swept by ONIC.
“Para ngayon, magsti-stick lang kami sa improvement ng team,” said Aurora’s coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani. “Kasi nagfa-fail kami pag crucial na yung match. Siguro pag nalampasan namin yon, maipapakita namin na kaya din namin maging champions.”
Sending Off With Style
The main highlight of the M7 Send-off event was the unveiling of the M7 Mural. The mural was designed and created by Melvin Rodas, a Filipino graphic designer and illustrator known for blending bold visual storytelling with his deep love for sports. He has worked on several NBA related projects, including creating artwork during Kevin Durant’s visit to Manila. Melvin has also produced NBA-inspired illustrations featuring prominent players and basketball culture.
“I wanted to capture the festive chaos and energy of MLBB,” said Melvin when asked about his inspiration for creating the M7 mural. “With the long history of Philippine teams winning the competition, I wanted to use my art. I want fans to feel what I felt – that I contributed something to the history of winning. I want them to feel that they’re part of it as well, and to feel how we dominate the competition.”
Team Liquid and Aurora were also given send-off player kits to equip them for their journey to M7.
The M7 Mural will be available for all to see at Pop Up Katipunan for the remainder of the world championship. The Wildcard tournament is already underway but the main event starts on January 10. An official M7 Watch Party is scheduled for January 23-25 at the Mall of Asia Music Hall, giving fans more reason to come out and show their support to our two representatives.
Banner photo from MPL Philippines.